MBB: Player Development

I have been impressed with the way that Beilein has developed Darius Morris and Matt Vogrich. Before the season started, I posted that I thought those two would end up being busts and didn't deserve their recruiting rankings. Raoul called me out on that and he seems to have been right.

The change in Morris is pretty obvious. He's gone from a guy who was essentially phased out of the rotation last year to the unquestioned go to guy on the team. I didn't see that coming at all.

Vogrich is a little more subtle, but to me is an even more impressive accomplishment for Beilein. Last year, Vogrich looked completely outmatched physically. His stat line is not overwhelming, but he has become a solid contributor in 10-15 minutes a game and is no longer a massive defensive liability.

After Amaker's tenure, I got used to seeing what a player did in his freshman year and just accepting that it was what we had for four years. The improvement of Morris and Vogrich from year one to year two, coupled with the fact that Novak and Douglass are solid Big Ten players given their recruiting profile has me excited about the future. Anyway, when someone asks why Beilein isn't on the hot seat, I think "player development" has to be one of the first answers.

Bacari Alexander is doing great work with the bigs. I love watching Jordan Morgan play down low. He still isn't quite there as far as finishing when there is a lot of traffic and can be overmatched when playing truely large (6'10"+) players, but he knows what it takes and has great awareness.

Also, the whole squad plays hard and plays for keeps. It's a great attitude, and that's half the battle. If they continue to play with such passion, add in the new practice facility and we should continue getting good recruiting classes.

I couldn't agree more about how HARD these guys play. It feels/looks like more of a team than last year. However, the shooting woes are sometimes inexplicable even though Kansas's D had a lot to do with it yesterday. They have to practice shooting all day long in his system and it just doesn't seem to translate to games very well. Overall, though, I am content and a little surprised at how well the team is playing for now.

And that had more than a little bit to do with the facts that 1) the program was severely limited, resource-wise, when he came in and 2) he posted the best season in the program's last decade in his second year.

It's because no one really cares about Michigan basketball. Amaker's last two teams won twenty games and went .500 in the league both years. Taking over that while inheriting Harris and Sims would have been a recipe for UNACCEPTABLE! at a school where people actually attend basketball games.

At the end of the day though, it is probably a good thing for all of us.

agree with you at this point. Although I hope we can get a second big man that plays like Jordan Morgan, because I dont know about you but watching McLimans on the floor yesterday was a horrific sight for me

Morgan is certainly a pleasant surprise being a redshirt freshman. I love his intensity. Also, the improvement of Horford will be interesting to see, because all we hear is how that kid loves to work, work, work.

Secondly, Douglass' improvement should be noted. He has maximized his minutes in probably 85 to 90 % of our games so far. His ability to get to the rim has improved as it went from zero to being able to do it versus Big Ten guards. This team and it's work ethic certainly lend to a lot of promise for the future.

last year, and is slowly regaining it. He missed a few big shots down the stretch yesterday that I was tempted to attribute to lack of confidence, even now. Really would like to see him get a rhythm with his shot and beat out some of the newcomers next year. He runs the team quite ably when Morris is out.

Even after two poor shooting performances in a row, Douglass is still shooting 39% from 3 for the year. I don't know many people who would consider that horrible. Prior to those two games, he was up around 43% which is a great percentage from 3.

in fairness to Stu Douglass, pretty much everyone on the team was clanking on open looks yesterday. we could've pulled out the W if anyone had made some open shots. his contributions are subtle, but they are still there.

Good to see someone echoing my exact sentiments about Vogrich. My buddy and I have gone back and forth about him(he called him a wasted scholarship) and it was nice to see him as a solid contributor. Another example I would point to is that the same team in 08 that lost non-conference games to Harvard and Central later knocked off OSU in Big Ten play and gave 1 seed Wisconsin all it could handle in the Big Ten Tourney. I really like the ceiling of this team next year because if Hardaway puts it together along with Morris, we can be as good as we've been since I started following MBB(Ellerbe years).

I have the same feeling about next year. Trey Burke is hitting over 50% of his shots this year. Burke and Brundidge will add a lot to this team. No disrespect to Novak and Douglass, but the 2013 Tourney is where this team will really be at its height.

That being said, I would caution anyone who is underestimating the value of Novak to this team. Remember when people were happy that CJ Lee and David Merritt were graduating? Yeah, the next year didn't work out so well, did it?

Guys like Lee, Merritt, and Novak know that they have to work hard. They push other people on the team, and in doing so create an atmostphere of mental/physical toughness and selflessness. I'll be very sad to see Novak graduate after next year.

I definitely agree. Would we have been close at all in that game yesterday if not for Novak? Hopefully some of the younger guys(I'm personally hoping for Morgan) step up and help maintain this new attitude that the team is developing after Novak and Douglass graduate

The team talent level may go up in 2 years, but when we lose Stu and Zack, we lose the heart and sole of this team. Last year it was Manny's team and this year it is Zack's. He is setting the work ethic and team play attitude.

Any talk of player development has to include Jordan Morgan. I'm amazed at how far he's come as a player. It's nice to see guys like Morgan, Morris (can we please never, ever, EVER call him the butterfly?), Vogrich come into their own. I'd say it bodes quite well for the future of this program.

Novak is easily one of my favorite players. His hard work and hustle are the reasons why he is able to play against opponents that are much bigger than him.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is also one of my favorite players already. I know he goes through some slumps and has freshman mistakes. I think his ceiling is pretty high and it doesn’t hurt to have those bloodlines.

I would totally agree that Novak consistently plays 6 inches and 30 pounds heavier when he is on the court. This guy hustles and hustles and hustles. As a coach you can never have too many kids with a work ethic or nose for the ball like that.

I also agree about the ceiling with Hardaway Jr. He makes some very freshman mistakes, but he has a quick first step and the ability to take it to the bucket under control. If he can learn to shoot a higher percentage shot instead of bombing from behind the arc he will increase greatly.

As for Morris, I am not as high on this kid as everyone else is. He is much better than he was last year at this time and has definitely grown into his ability. He still has a way to go. He needs to learn to move the ball around more effectively and quit taking poor quality shots. He often picks his dribble up long before he has a pass in mind or a shot in mind. he also is quick to get airborne with no outlet pass or shot available. Don't get me wrong, he is going to be good.....but he is not great yet. He could use another summer of growing mentally in the game where he learns to create shots for himself rather than just throwing the ball at the rim.

That and the total leadership vacuum. I love Peedi, but dude's a headcase, and when the guy trying to keep you focused is Manny Harris you've got a real problem. The fact that he was our only legitimate C and PF obviously didn't help matters.

Miss those guys despite the inconsistency, but this team is about 100 times more fun to watch than last year's.

Is there any better picture to describe Zach Novak. Novak's got the ball on the ground as a bigger, stronger opponent lies on the ground in pain wondering, "How in the hell does he keep getting the ball away from me?" (HT: UMHoops)

The New york times had an interesting article on a new gadget that measures a shooter's arc. Finding the right arc improves the chances of the ball going in. This combines a video element so the shooter can review the tape and make adjustments. The guys take a lot of 3s but no one would be complaining if they made more.

I'm well aware that PG is the relative equivalent to QB. My point was that we haven't seen that development in quite a while around here. The last decent recruit UM had that could reasonably be considered a point guard was Daniel Horton. He was terrific his freshman year and only managed to match that performance in his senior year after two off years.

You thought Morris was going to be a bust? I actually never thought that, I thought he was a for sure star in the making. One of our first true good PG in a while. He worked with John Wall over the summer and has improved his game greatly.

I do agree with vogrich though. I thought he was going to be a bust, and he still may be. He's gotten better but still not to the point where I can eliminate him from being a bust. He still doesn't contribute that much to the team, but he is only a sophomore, hopefully he'll continue to get better.

You were more optimistic than me, which is a good thing. Bust was probably an overstatement, but seeing his shot last year and how he looked a bit lost in the offense didn't scream top 100 guy to me. Like I've said, I'm more than happy to be wrong about him.

I think that he is becoming a mini-Novak. He has gone from just being a shooter and a turnover waiting to happen to a hustle guy diving for loose balls, playing defense and rebounding. He needs to add strength, but should continue to develope quite nicely.

Hey does have one of the nicest shots I've ever seen. I've got to see him in-person this year and the TV doesn't do him justice. He needs something though (maybe it's that strength) to warrant additional PT, and hopefully he can blossom into that pure shooter he can potentially be.

It just seems like the "true center" guys are few and far between, or they have no skill like that guy Foster at Utah. Izzo seems to win with just a bunch of swoll 6'8"-6'10" guys who bang inside. Hopefully adding weight to the three young guys will help but I'd settle for a group of tough, hard-nosed guys who don't get pushed around and let the outside guys shine before I worry about landing an elite big man (not that getting one wouldn't be super swell).

I actually think we have the big bodies, they are just not big enough......yet. if mclimans or horford can put on some much needed beef, they will do just fine backing up Morgan. And both being freshmen helps tremendously in that they haven't been in a strength and conditioning program very long. Let's not kid ourselves, the strength of this team is the guards, so as long as we get serviceable big men who like to do dirty work, this team should be just fine. Morgan is doing great at that, but we definitely need someone else. I personally think horford is best fit for that position.

With Morgan(RS Fr), McLimas(Rs Fr), Horford(Fr), Smotrycz(Fr), and Christian(Fr) all playing either the 4 or 5, and only losing Douglas and Novak in the next 2 years, it just isn't good scholarship management to go after another big right now.

I have been really surprised with Morgans development thus far, and I don't think anyone expected him to be playing as well as he has. However, Morgan needs to develop playing with his back to the basket, becoming more comfortbale with the ball at the top of the key, and learning how to stay on the court and away from foul trouble.

Detroit News reports that Jordan Dumars may apply for a "medical redshirt" because of the torn meniscus on his right knee that was surgically repaired before the season. Story has quotes from Joe Dumars:

"He has come back, but not at 100 percent — about 70 percent," Joe said Monday. "We talked about it and we don't want to waste 70 percent (health) on a few games, so we might to try to medical redshirt this year."

Josh Bartelstein's blog comment about Coltan Christian? He says that the shot doctor (Coach Beilein) has been working a lot with him on his shooting and he is really starting to come along. Josh thinks that CC is really going to be good once he combines all of that athleticism with improved shooting. If that happens, that will be the ultimate in player developement.

Also, I expect Smotrycz to make a huge jump in developement by next year. It may come this year.